The Choosing Part 1
by Luciana Riddle
Summary: Bronaer and her sister Aelar journey to Mirkwood to find their true loves. its a lot better than it sounds really. Part two is on Haldir


Bronaer woke up in her in Lothlorei bedroom. Her sister, Aelar stood out by the window. Her dark hair flew in the breeze. "Today is the day, isn't it?" She asked, "It's the day we go to Mirkwood." Her sister nodded, it was.

"Im gosta*, Aelar. Im gosta for our futures. I don't want us to be separated." Bronaer's long, wavy brown hair fell to her waist as she got up. They were twins who were closer to each other than anybody. "Do you think that maybe it was fate that we're both subservient?" Aelar asked.

There were two types of elves, the dominant and the subservient. All this was completely randomly determined. The elves all journeyed to another city at a point in their lives. They would be claimed by a dominant elf.

"I hope you are chosen by a good man, Aelar." Bronaer said as she started packing her things to go to Mirkwood. "As do I," She turned to Bronaer, "You too deserve a good man." Bronaer blushed and her thoughts turned to the handsome young man she'd met not too long ago. 'He probably doesn't even remember me,' she thought.

She was standing outside when she saw him. He had blue eyes and long blond hair. She was immediately taken with him. She took the water from one of the nearby creeks she collected and brought it to the warriors. "Lady Galadriel has asked me to take care of your needs while you are staying in Lothlorei." She smiled.

There was a human, four hobbits, a dwarf, and an elf. "Estannen* Bronaer. If you need me at any point in your stay just say my name and I shall be there." She left and thought she felt the eyes of the elf man on her as she exited.

"Badhor, my brother. I do not wish to leave to Mirkwood. Im gosta for our future. I do not wish to be separated from you, Aelar, Ceredir, or Dagnir. You are my family." Bronaer had three brothers and one twin sister. Badhor was a judge for the court, Ceredir was a crafter of fine elvish jewelry and Dagnir was a warrior.

"Little One, you must. It is your fate. Hebo estel.*" Bronaer sighed, "I fear for the future, what if I am chosen by a man who is bad to me?" Dagnir came behind her and tousled her hair, "You have three older brothers, Little One. Whoever chooses you will never harm a hair on your head." Bronaer smiled and hugged her brothers, thanking them for their encouraging words. "Aelar was always more fearless than I. What if I am not chosen? I do not want to be alone…"

"You will be chosen, Bronaer, you are one of the fairest of the elves in all of Middle-Earth." Bronaer blushed and felt ready for her journey.

She donned a dark green travelling gown and stepped into the mild spring weather. "Aelar? Do you have your belongings ready?" She asked as they met up and saddled their horses. Aelar nodded sadly and Bronaer was certain that her melancholy mood was due to her love for another docile elf. Bronaer had never met him but knew that Faron was important to her. "Aelar," Bronaer looked upon her sister with concern, "Why have you not run away with Faron?"

Tears came to her eyes and she looked away. "Faron has found another…" oh… Bronaer looked upon sister. "Aelar, you must move on. Two elves of the same caliber cannot be together in that way."

Aelar knew this was true but it still hurt her. She thought she would be with Faron forever. She closed her eyes and came to think that maybe journeying to Mirkwood would be good for her.

Bronaer reminisced about what time she spent with the marauders of the ring whilst they rested in Lothlorei. Legolas, the elf was charming in her opinion. She admired him. With each passing day she spent with them she began to have a crush on the elf.

"Bronaer," She jumped upon hearing her name. "Oh, you scared the life out of me, My Lord." She struggled to catch her breath and smiled. "There is no need to address me so formally. Call me Legolas." Bronaer blushed and nodded as she mended a cloak from one of the Halflings.

"Tell me, what is it like in Mirkwood?" She asked. "It used to be called Greenwood long before I was born. It is... hard to explain in words. Bronaer, my heart would sing if you would come to Mirkwood."

"I am to journey there soon after the war over the One Ring has ceased. It is nearly time for my claiming." She said as she looked up at him. "I fear that I will be chosen by a man who will not treat me well." Lost in her thoughts she did not hear him tell her that he could not let that happen.

She kept tending to the walkers, knowing that one day soon they would leave. Bronaer wished she could be a warrior like Dagnir was. She wanted to fight with Legolas. Alas there was no way that could happen. Haldir, a good friend of her deceased father was made to promise that neither of his girls would become warriors.

As the women from Lothlorei set up camp for the night Bronaer's thoughts wondered to Legolas. She knew not that he was the prince of Mirkwood for she was kept in the dark about the happenings outside the city she was born in. Her journey to Mirkwood was the first time she was allowed out of the city.

Dagnir was among the warriors protecting and leading the elves in their time of choosing. "Brother," She looked down sheepishly, "I have never been outside of the city and im gosta. May I stay with you for tonight?" With a smile and a welcoming hug Dagnir set up his things near Aelar and Bronaer's.

She lay awake that night mulling over how the choosing would go. If she was not chosen then she would go back to Mirkwood the next year and this would go on until she became too old. She thought of Legolas and the time they spent together in Lothlorei.

She stood on a balcony watching the sun rise. She felt perfectly content in Lothlorei. Her thoughts had never one ventured to leaving the city. "Bronaer, would you consider coming to visit after the war is over," asked Legolas. "Of course, my friend. After all I would hate for our relationship to dissolve over the trivial issue of distance."

She smiled and saw him smile too. "If my brothers forbid me then we shall see each other this next year when I venture back to Mirkwood for the choosing." He looked at her quizzically. "Do you really believe that no one will choose you? You are the fairest of all elves in all of Middle-Earth, the loveliest woman in all the land." He cupped her cheek and she blushed. Many a man had told her that. It seemed to be a title she had gained since her early ages when she was just starting to bloom into a young woman.

"Do you truly believe this, or are you quoting the others," She asked with a slight smile gracing her pale lips. "I do truly believe you are the fairest, fairer than Lady Galadriel herself."

"You must not truly believe that." She said in disbelief. "But I do, one day; perhaps the Prince of Mirkwood himself will claim you." Not knowing who the prince was she shook her head. "Impossible, I've never met the prince. They tell me he's very handsome but I think I know a handsomer elf." She smiled, flirting.

His lips briefly captured hers before he left. She stood there awestruck. She didn't know he was going to war and that he might not have come back.

The next day she found a letter written in Elvish that said:

Dearest Bronaer,

I have gone to war, but I shall return to you and claim you upon the day of the choosing. Do not fear. You shall see me again.

-Legolas

She felt excited and saddened at the same time. Legolas was going to claim her, if the Prince of Mirkwood didn't claim her first. They were going to see each other in a year, if Legolas lived through the war.

It took nearly three days to get to Mirkwood. Bronaer gasped, it was so beautiful. She was shaken out of her reverie by a hand on her shoulder, "Go get cleaned up in the bathing houses." A dominant woman had said.

Bronaer found herself more relaxed as she settled in the hot water of the public bath. She saw many other elves there, men and women. Alone, she cleaned her travel-worn body and wished that fate smiled kindly upon her. She heard that the royals and nobles got to choose first.

She washed her skin gingerly with soap that smelled like the forest. She did not see Aelar but figured that she was in another house washing. Their paths would stray from each other's. Their lives were meant to separate at one point.

Bronaer plaited her hair and dressed in a light blue gown with silver-colored thread sewn into it. The thread made intricate leaf patterns around her neckline and sleeves. She felt nervousness well up in her as she stepped out into the gentle Mirkwood sun.

She grasped the letter Legolas had written to her, hoping that he was still alive. She dared not look up lest the eyes of the prince catch hers. She knew that she wanted Legolas and not the prince. She would do anything in her power to keep herself unclaimed until she knew Legolas was choosing.

She sang quietly as she made her way into the extensive line of elves. "Black clouds are far behind me and now I see ahead…" She heard somebody yell for the women to line up in a certain area, the royal men were going to choose.

Her stomach twisted in knots. She didn't even see who it was who was choosing. She stared blankly downward, not seeing anything. She felt a soft finger trace the side of her face. She thought she heard a familiar voice but she was too scared to bring her attention to it until he grasped her hand. Bronaer realized she had been chosen.

She was about to cry. The prince had gotten to her before Legolas and she wondered if she could rip her hand from his and run away. She didn't want to see her captor. A single tear streaked down her face. Her heart was broken and she was going to fade.

Fading was an early death for an elf that was going through extensive grief. She wanted to fade so that she wouldn't have to wake up each morning next to a man who was not Legolas.

She was too afraid to look into the eyes of the man whom had chosen her. She would find out soon. Cheers rang out around them as she caught sight of Aelar. Her eyes were wide.

A ringlet was placed around Bronaer's head and she knew that she had been chosen by the prince. She only saw him from the back, long blond hair. "Bronaer, look at me." When she didn't he took her inside, away from the people. Bronaer was afraid that she had been chosen by a temperamental prince.

"Bronaer, look at me. Please…" The voice pleaded with her. Soft fingers gingerly lifted her chin and she closed her eyes shut. "Why will you not look upon me?"

"I refuse to look into the eyes of a man whom I do not love. My heart belongs to another…" Bronaer took off and began running away from Mirkwood. "Bronaer! Bronaer!" She heard her name being called but she did not yield as she took her horse, Night Star and fled.

The prince stood there in shock. His heart hurt to know that the heart of the only woman he could ever love had feelings for another. He wanted nothing more than to fade. Bronaer was not his. The only love of his life fled him.

He sat there upon his bed, the bed that they were supposed to mate in that night and buried his face in his hands that were beginning to feel cold. The choosing was over. The women and men not chosen left in sadness back to their homes, cursed to wait another year alone.

Bronaer rode far away from Mirkwood. She could no longer return home either. "Avo acheno,*" She told herself. She would not go back. She rode through forests and small villages for weeks, not looking back.

Meanwhile the prince was getting sicker. "My Lord, I know why Bronaer left. Please stay alive, listen to what I have to say," Aelar knelt at his bedside, "She is in love with a man named Legolas, which is you. She just doesn't know it. You must send men out to find her. Please, My Lord I cannot bear to see the love you have for each other end this way. Stay alive."

Aelar left sadly and returned home to her husband. Aelar was with child and found she loved the man who chose her. It turned out that going to Mirkwood was one of the best things that could have ever happened to her.

Bronaer stopped for the night at a small clearing in the forest and sighed. She had been travelling for nearly two months. She had heard news that the Prince of Mirkwood was growing ill. She felt bad and wondered if she could go back. She felt that she was being selfish.

"Bronaer Greenleaf or Lothlorei?" Her head snapped up. "Leave me be!" She snapped at the Elvish horseman. "You will not take me!"

"Bronaer… please, come back. He is dying!" She recognized the voice as that of Dagnir. "Dagnir, I cannot mate with him! I do not love him!" She looked at him, pleading with him. "I'm sorry Bronaer, I've been instructed to take you back whether or not you yield."

"On who's orders?" She took out her bow and aimed it at Dagnir. "Lady Galadriel's orders." She lowered her bow and sighed. "Alright, I will come, peacefully." She knew that she could not disobey orders of a woman she admired so much. She would do what Lady Galadriel asked of her, no matter the cost.

"Goheno nin…*" She said with remorse. "I forgive you, Little One." Bronaer closed her eyes after that. She had gotten little sleep in the past several days since working on losing a few angry dwarves.

By the time they arrived back on Mirkwood nearly a day and a half had passed and the prince was on his deathbed, pale and cold. Bronaer was ushered into his chambers. Her eyes widened and she dropped down to her knees. "I did this… Goheno nin…Goheno nin…" her warm fingers traced the gaunt features of his cold, pale face.

It dawned on her that the prince she vowed to never look upon was Legolas, the only love of her life. "Legolas… please… I'm here, don't fade." Tears fell from her cheeks. She took his hand in hers and held it to her cheek. "Don't die…."

He did not respond and his breathing slowed to a halt. It was too late. Bronaer took Legolas' body in her arms. He seemed so fragile. He looked too sickly to be the man she fell in love with. "I will follow you in death," She said.

She lay there awake that night, not bothering to tell anybody of his passing. She felt the fading begin and wept. She began to stroke his hair and sang:

"I anor hilol, sen tir? Tir o…. Mae harnannen… Mae lye… Le melon…*"

"Bronaer?" She gasped and looked upon the prince whom she fell in love with. "Legolas!" She exclaimed. "Manen nalye*?" She asked.

"Im maer*." She kissed him hungrily and still felt tears escape. This time though, they were tears of happiness. "Legolas… I'm… sorry…" She said in between feverish kisses. "I should… have… told you…"

In a flash he was on top. "I have waited far too long…" He almost growled. "But it's no longer nighttime…" She blushed. "No one will bother us," He quickly took off her dress and marveled at her body.

She blushed and tentatively tugged at his tunic. Her eyes widened at his sculpted body. She knew that he could have any woman in Middle-Earth. She arched her back into him when he claimed her lips. "Legolas…"

"Yes, my love?" She was panting. "Don't make me wait, please," she gasped out. He smiled and sucked on her neck. The noises she made only turned him on more. His pants were becoming increasingly tight and she noticed. "Allow me," She said as she tugged them off to reveal his swollen member.

She blushed and tentatively stroked it. Legolas nearly fell backwards at the sweet touch that sent electric shocks through his body. "Bronaer…" He groaned as she kept up her ministrations.

She couldn't take it anymore. "Please, Legolas, do it…" When he entered her she nearly let out a scream. She winced and he stopped. "Are you alright?" He asked, worriedly. "It is fine," She smiled weakly and nodded for him to continue.

Slowly the pain turned to pleasure within her and she began to move with him. Their lips met passionately. "I'm getting close!" She cried. She dug her nails into his back and his name poured out her lips over and over as she rode through her climax. Legolas followed not too long after. His hot seed spilled within her and left them panting together.

She fell asleep in his arms and dreamed of the children they would one day have. Lady Galadriel smiled to herself as she looked away from the mirror; Bronaer had finally fulfilled her destiny.

**Im gosta – I'm afraid**

**Estannen – My name is…**

**Hebo estel – have hope**

**Goheno nin – forgive me**

**I anor hilol, sen tir? Tir o…Mae harnannen…Mae lye….Le melon - **

**The sun is shining, but how can this be? I see you… wounded… sick… I love you (VERY roughly translated since I only know Quenya but wanted to write in Sindarin)**

** Manin nalye – how are you feeling?**

** Im maer – im well**

**I hope you guys liked it, I don't write many lemons so im sorry if this one sucked. And I only own Aelar, Bronaer, Dagnir, and those other guys that aren't in the books or movies :P (but I wouldn't mind owning Legolas… or Haldir for the matter *wink wink*)**


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